Tying in supply lines and the drain line for sinks, lavatories, and washing machines in a stud wall can be a difficult and time consuming exercise, particularly where the connection of the supply and drain lines through the wall are exposed beneath the sink. A wide variety of brackets, straps and the like are available for supporting and holding hot and cold water supply lines within a stud bay at the location where the supply lines will extend through holes formed in dry wall attached over the studs forming the stud wall. The branch of a drain line to which the sink drain is to be connected is typically self-supported off of a vertically extending drain line.
Finishing a wall around the drain line can prove difficult and time consuming, particularly if the drain line is stubbed out through the wall at an angle other than ninety degrees relative to the wall. In such circumstances, the dry-wall installer is required to make a relatively large hole to accommodate the angled length of drain line, requiring more repair work after the dry wall is secured to the stud wall. The installer then typically places separate escutcheons around each supply line and drain line and over the respective openings through the drywall to cover any gaps therebetween.
Finish boxes have been developed which include openings for tying in supply lines and a drain line through a wall panel and which present a relatively clean appearance to the wall once dry wall is mounted over or around the box. U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,144 to Condon discloses such a box. The box includes a floor panel with two openings which, when the box is mounted as intended in a stud wall, extend through the floor panel generally perpendicular to the vertical opening into the box. A sleeve, through which a drain line elbow may extend, is formed in a back panel of the box and extends forward therefrom. The sleeve extends above the bottom panel and the supply line openings extend therethrough. Quarter turn or angle stop valves are mounted to the bottom panel with a pipe connection shank extending vertically below the bottom panel.
Although the orientation of the box can be changed to accommodate variations in the direction that the water supply lines and the drain line are plumbed to the box, the variations are limited. The box can generally be oriented in one of only four orientations, with the floor panel below the drain sleeve and the pipe connection shanks extending downward, with the floor panel above the drain sleeve and the pipe connection shanks extending upward, with the floor panel to the left of the drain sleeve and the pipe connection shanks extending to the left and with the floor panel to the right of the drain sleeve and the pipe connection shanks extending to the right. Correspondingly, the supply lines and the drain line generally have to be plumbed in one of four orientations. There are numerous instances where due to the direction from which the supply lines and the drain line are plumbed, that use of the box taught in the Condon '144 patent is not possible.
In addition, in boxes such as are taught by Condon '144, it is very difficult to fit tools into the box to try to remove and replace the valve body if it develops a leak or otherwise fails. Then once a new valve is obtained, it becomes difficult to install the valve by threading it onto a threaded receiver in the box while getting the supply line outlet of the valve to face forward without over or under tightening the valve body to the threaded receiver or without damaging the supply line connected thereto past the floor panel.
There remains a need for a finish panel system or the like which can accommodate a wide variety of situations regarding the location of supply lines and the drain line and which permits ready removal and replacement of supply line valves.